Interview with Industry Leader Sam Allcock of PR Fire (UK)
With 14 years under his belt as founder and managing director of Manchester-based online digital agency Custard, Sam Allcock now leads PR Fire, bringing with him vast industry leading expertise in several sectors of online marketing.
Born as an outlet for companies and organisations of any size and budget across the UK, PR Fire’s team of experts quickly helps a broad range of clients connect with consumers, media and bloggers, letting everyone know about their new products, services or company news.
Now, as an unrivaled leading online public relations and marketing service, PR Fire work alongside a vastly experienced team, for a range of national and regional clients across many sectors, including start-up businesses, finance, travel, sport, technology, lifestyle and many more.
We had a chat with Sam to find out what expert advice he can share with others working in the PR industry:
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to establish their own PR company?
You should be aware of what position you want to take in the industry, who your target audience is and how you are going to provide a service for your clients, for example what are they seeking, is it SEO based or do they just want to raise a brand awareness?
Don’t forget, the industry is ever changing and evolving through technological advancements, it’s important to educate yourself regularly on what the press want to hear about, and how they want to hear about it.
How do I create strong relationships with journalists in order to achieve coverage?
Remember that journalists are people too, face to face meetings are a great way to establish a relationship and then follow that up with emails.
Take some time to research what people are writing about, and be respectful of their time. Don’t harass them just because they didn’t reply to an email right away. They are inundated with stories every day and you don’t want to stick out for the wrong reasons…respect their work and you’ll quickly establish a strong professional relationship.
How do you know when is the best time to approach journalists with a press release, and what they want to hear about?
Having been on the other side of the fence, we know exactly what journalists want to read – and more importantly, what they don’t – when your news hits their inbox. Catch them at the wrong time and your release could end up in their junk folder. It’s also important to be aware of who you are sending your release to, take the time to research the writers previous articles and you’ll soon realize whether your story is relevant to them.
Other than sending out press releases, what can a client expect from PR Fire?
We can also prepare measurable campaign goals, generate authoritative backlinks for your website, develop brand recognition and increase your search engine visibility.
You can find out more about PR Fire here.
